September 1: 2,000 CEC invitations at CRS 521
Express Entry round 439 was held on September 1, 2026 for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). IRCC issued 2,000 invitations to apply (ITAs), and the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of the lowest-ranked candidate invited was 521.
A CEC round is program-specific. A candidate had to meet the Canadian Experience Class requirements and be in the Express Entry pool; reaching 521 without CEC eligibility was not enough for this round.
August 31: 562 PNP invitations at CRS 697
One day earlier, IRCC held round 438 for the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). It issued 562 invitations with a CRS cut-off of 697.
The round was limited to Express Entry candidates with a provincial or territorial nomination. A nomination adds 600 CRS points, but the candidate still had to meet the requirements of the nominating program and keep an eligible Express Entry profile.
Comparison with the previous rounds
| Round | Date | Category | ITAs | CRS cut-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 439 | September 1, 2026 | Canadian Experience Class | 2,000 | 521 |
| 438 | August 31, 2026 | Provincial Nominee Program | 562 | 697 |
| 436 | August 18, 2026 | Canadian Experience Class | 1,000 | 523 |
| 435 | August 17, 2026 | Provincial Nominee Program | 442 | 760 |
The September 1 CEC cut-off was two points lower than in the August 18 round, and the number of invitations doubled from 1,000 to 2,000. The August 31 PNP cut-off was 63 points lower than on August 17, and invitations rose from 442 to 562. These are completed rounds and do not predict the size or score of the next draw.
What invited candidates should check
An invitation is based on the profile as it stood at the time of the round. Before submitting the permanent residence application, an invited candidate should confirm that work history, language results, education, status, nomination and other profile information are still accurate and supported by documents.
Follow the deadline shown in your online account and the document checklist generated for your file. A published CRS cut-off does not waive any program, admissibility or documentation requirement.